Jack Conan, Ronan Kelleher and Dave Kilcoyne all likely to be fit for first pool game against The Oaks
It is uncannily reminiscent of the form and momentum England had generated in 2003 when becoming the sole northern hemisphere winners of the World Cup, yet in some respects, it counts for nothing come kick-off in the pool games.
“Those things will never get taken away from us — the wins in New Zealand, the Grand Slam — but it was always with the World Cup in mind. We’re here now and this exactly where we want to be. “Even in the last few weeks, you’re watching the games, you’re trying to get match fitness for the guys that were playing. They’re difficult games sometimes; players are thinking, ‘an injury here and I’m gone’. So I think there’s a relief suddenly when you get here and you’re, ‘right, we’re here now, let’s get on with business and try to get the best out of ourselves’.
“I probably learned something at all of them but they’re all different. Each one, I learned different things along the way and this will be another different world cup. It’s probably why it’s hard to get them right, you know, very rarely do you have the same carry-over of players’ experiences.
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